freezy's blog
Posted 04-17-2008 at 02:29 PM by freeztar
Well, here it is, my first blog.
I've never really gotten into blogging, but I decided to give it a shot.
Let's see...
I'm kinda pissed off today because my boss is not giving me any opportunity to grow in my profession. It's very frustrating! For instance, one of our biggest clients (the GA Dept. of Transportation) is requiring all consultants to complete certified training courses by next year. I've been begging for basic wetland delineation training since I got there two years ago. It's like being an IT for two years and the company still will not provide you with Microsoft certification (maybe a bad example, but you get the drift...it's very basic training). Anyhow, it seems my boss has chosen to take three classes himself, give three classes to my senior colleague, one to my other colleague, and none to me.
I've been promised this training for two years in a row now and have still not received it. I think I'm going to talk to his boss and try to make things happen that way. I'm still not sure about corporate politics, so I'm not sure if I should threaten to leave or not (any advice here?). Nonetheless, it's looking like time to update the resume and send my feelers out there. It's too bad really as I like my job (besides my selfish and hypocritical boss). My pay is above average for the industry, I have good benefits, and my senior colleague is a brilliant (and amazingly helpful) person to work with. Sigh...
And in other news, my fiancee and I might not be having a wedding in Cancun anymore. Two people in her mother's family have been diagnosed with cancer within the last two weeks. They're pretty poor, so the whole family is scraping together what they can to pay for the care they need. Basically, noone is going to have the money to make it there (which is the whole reason for having it in Mexico). To make matters worse, her Dad's family is in Monterrey which is about 12 hours from Mexico City. So no matter where we have it in Mexico, a majority of one family or the other will not be able to make it.
So now it's looking like we need to have it somewhere near Mexico City, or just skip the Mexico idea altogether and just have it somewhere local. I could really care less to tell you the truth
But it's driving my fiancee crazy, and this is just the beginning. 
Ciao
I've never really gotten into blogging, but I decided to give it a shot.
Let's see...
I'm kinda pissed off today because my boss is not giving me any opportunity to grow in my profession. It's very frustrating! For instance, one of our biggest clients (the GA Dept. of Transportation) is requiring all consultants to complete certified training courses by next year. I've been begging for basic wetland delineation training since I got there two years ago. It's like being an IT for two years and the company still will not provide you with Microsoft certification (maybe a bad example, but you get the drift...it's very basic training). Anyhow, it seems my boss has chosen to take three classes himself, give three classes to my senior colleague, one to my other colleague, and none to me.
I've been promised this training for two years in a row now and have still not received it. I think I'm going to talk to his boss and try to make things happen that way. I'm still not sure about corporate politics, so I'm not sure if I should threaten to leave or not (any advice here?). Nonetheless, it's looking like time to update the resume and send my feelers out there. It's too bad really as I like my job (besides my selfish and hypocritical boss). My pay is above average for the industry, I have good benefits, and my senior colleague is a brilliant (and amazingly helpful) person to work with. Sigh...And in other news, my fiancee and I might not be having a wedding in Cancun anymore. Two people in her mother's family have been diagnosed with cancer within the last two weeks. They're pretty poor, so the whole family is scraping together what they can to pay for the care they need. Basically, noone is going to have the money to make it there (which is the whole reason for having it in Mexico). To make matters worse, her Dad's family is in Monterrey which is about 12 hours from Mexico City. So no matter where we have it in Mexico, a majority of one family or the other will not be able to make it.
So now it's looking like we need to have it somewhere near Mexico City, or just skip the Mexico idea altogether and just have it somewhere local. I could really care less to tell you the truth
But it's driving my fiancee crazy, and this is just the beginning. Ciao
Total Comments 6
Comments
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[QUOTE]I've been promised this training for two years in a row now and have still not received it. I think I'm going to talk to his boss and try to make things happen that way. I'm still not sure about corporate politics, so I'm not sure if I should threaten to leave or not (any advice here?). [/QUOTE]
I'll be blunt.
Don't go in there like a whiner. Don't go in there like you pissed off for not being voted prom queen.
You make a case for why you would maximize the return to the company on the training if given the opportunity to attend. You show them in bullet point form all of the serious contributions you've made already in the past from each and every one of the minor training opportunities you've had with them thus far.
I went to training A, and as a result I accomplished X,Y, and Z.
I went to training B, and as a result I saved this many dollars per quarter...
That sort of thing.
Show them why you are the best choice. Make your case, and walk away. If they don't see it, then oh well. Suck it up, and deal.
You've said repeatedly how much you love your job. I envy that, frankly. I enjoy the people I work with, but I find my job boring and mundane, and I feel like a cog in a big corporate wheel.
You are happy where you are. Don't screw it up because of an ego clash with a silly manager over some (you said yourself) very basic training. Do try to make a case and get some training out of it, but don't light any fires or burn any bridges in the process is my point.
I've got a decision to make myself. The project I've been working on for the last 2 years has been delayed, and our replanning efforts imply to me that I will be pidgeon holed into a very specific role, one that I've repeatedly stated during review that I want to move beyond. My boss is a good guy, and I like him, but I get the sense that he is more focussed on what is right for him than that what is right for me.
I've been speaking with an old friend in my "home organization," basically the group who allowed me go to take part on this monster project. I've been told repeatedly how much they need me, how much they want me back, and the answers I'm getting to my questions seriously suggest that the work they'd offer is new... is what I've been wanting... and would help me expand into new areas. Precisely what I've been asking for on my current project.
I think I'm going to tell my boss that I'm leaving, and go work with the other group again. I just don't like walking away from things, but it seems to be what's best in the long run, despite the political challenge of leaving my current group in the "lurch" for a few weeks until they replan. They will have a pretty big hole to fill when I leave, but I need to do what's right for me. In this case, what's right for me is moving into a position where I'll be happier and given more opportunities to expand my abilities and impact.
Anyway, this is your blog, not mine.
You like your job, so unless this training is more important to you than enjoying what you do, don't push it harder than you must.
Sorry to hear of your family stuff, but cancun is for spring break, not weddings. Go to the town hall, open a bottle of $5 champagne, screw your brains out, look into each others eyes, and remind yourself that a marriage is about staying with someone you love, not wasting a bunch of money on airfare. ;)
Cheers mate.
SeanPosted 04-17-2008 at 08:59 PM by InfiniteNow
Updated 04-17-2008 at 09:06 PM by InfiniteNow -
I'd written a big comment but then I read InfiniteNow's so I'll cut mine down!
I agree with what IN wrote about your job. You're lucky enough to love your job, so do what you can without causing too much of a scene. If they can't see your value then walk away and find an employer who appreciates you.
Weddings make people crazy and no matter what you do you are going to upset someone. I've been to many weddings and as nice as they were I ultimately thought it was a waste of money. I had written in my original comment that you should marry at town hall instead of trying to arrange a wedding that all the family can attend, but IN beat me to it!! The day is about you and your fiancee so just make it simple and romantic. You don't need a fancy wedding that will only be a distant memory before long. It's an important day but it doesn't need to be an event for everyone else. It's more important for you to have a long and happy marriage.Posted 04-17-2008 at 09:52 PM by Monomer
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Always have feelers out, but never jeopardize your job because of hot tempers! Chill out. Try to put some distance between you and your job - do something completely different for a few days. It can do wonders.
Being passed over like that is something that happens to all of us now and then. Your time will come. But it doesn't hurt to make demands now and then. But be strategic - try to talk to your boss and say, "okay, this year it wasn't my turn. Can we make plans for next year?" It shows commitment and interest. If he's not willing to agree to anything then that's a sign that maybe you should seriously start to look elsewhere.
As for the wedding, go to Iceland.
Posted 04-18-2008 at 10:11 AM by Tormod
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Wow, thanks for the comments everyone.
Unfortunately, my boss called in sick today, so I didn't get the chance to talk to him. On Monday, I'm going to approach him with logic and reason and state my "demands". I'll blog here when it happens.
The wedding thing is still up in the air. I don't really care about the whole ordeal, but my fiancee does. She wants her family to be able to come and she wants everyone to be happy. I've tried to explain to her that it's impossible to make everyone happy, but that just frustrates her more because the reality kicks in and her dream is shattered. This weekend should be a good step forward in figuring this stuff out.
Anyhow, thanks again you three. I gleaned insight from each post.Posted 04-18-2008 at 06:26 PM by freeztar
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Freezy, if I were you I would do the wedding twice. Once local and once in Mexico. Have someone you trust arrange for the person who will conduct each ceremony. The catch is that only one person doing the ceremony can be real, and you can never know which one it was. Once you have finished both ceremonies you will know you are married, and the people at each wedding will have a 50/50 chance of having seen either the real one, or the fake one, both of which are cool in their own way. Just explaining the convoluted thing will be a point of discussion for years.
Good luck!
BillPosted 04-18-2008 at 06:29 PM by TheBigDog 
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Not big on blogging myself, but what the heck...
First of all, as to your corporate training headaches, this is just the first of many headaches and heartbreaks you'll experience in the corporate world.
Therefore, do what I did, when I got fed up with the corporate idiocy that people seem to have accepted as their fate:
Quit, and start your own business! There's nothing as good as the sense of achievement you get when the money you made at the end of the month is all thanks to your own elbow grease. You have no-one but yourself to impress. It rocks!
Secondly, as to the wedding thing, do what I've successfully done for the past 31 years:
Don't get married!
There was a few close calls, and two engagements, but with help from above and my love of freedom, I've gotten away every single time.
Or thirdly, don't bother with my worldly wisdom and advice... each to his own, I always say!Posted 05-03-2008 at 07:34 AM by Boerseun
